Woohoo! I’m running again! One morning I woke up and the pain was … different. Not *totally* gone, but very slight and different. Hardly noticeable. So I have been doing short runs (1-2 miles) with lots of walking in between. So far things feel good – fingers crossed! Hopefully the healing will go well and I’ll be able to start doing some regular mileage again. Tomorrow I’m going to shoot for an easy 3 miler and see how that feels.

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped me stay motivated through my injury – it really helped!

Wow. What an honor! I can’t believe it – I’m part of team DailyMile.

For those of you who don’t know what DailyMile is, go to www.dailymile.com RIGHT NOW and sign up! Go on! I’ll wait!

Okay now that you’re back, DailyMile is a website for runners. Let me rephrase that. DailyMile is THE website for runners. It has such an amazing community – there are runners of all abilities, from all over the globe. The two things that all DMers have in common is a love of running and an upbeat, kind, humble, encouraging personality.

Team DailyMile is a group made up of the most enthusiastic DailyMilers. I am so excited to be part of this group. My teammates are some of the runners I admire most – not necessarily for their speed (though some of them are FAST!) – but for their dedication, willingness to help others, and love of the sport. I  can’t wait to start working with them to spread our love of running.

Thank you, DailyMile! I’m excited to be able to give back to a site that has been such a great part of my running life.

Leg’s still bugging me, but I’ve been keeping up with my 2010 Resolution to do strength training 3x a week for 20 minutes a day – and let me tell ya, it’s been working! I definitely feel stronger than I did in 2009, and I am starting to see the difference as well. T-Rex runner arms be-gone!

A big part of my strength program is the OneHundredPushups program, founded by my fellow Daily Miler Steve Speirs. Check it out at http://hundredpushups.com/ ! I’m on Week 4 of the program. I can’t believe I did 78 pushups the other day! Thanks Steve!

If you’re interested in the rest of my strength program, here it is:

Arms
100pushups

Abs

Plank
Forearms to Plank
Boat Pose
Pelvic Tilt (lie on your back, lifting your feet off the ground with bent knees. Use your abs to straighten your lower back so that it lies flush with the floor. Maintain this position as you lift one leg, then the other, tapping the floor with your feet as you lower them. Continue this for as long as you can, making sure to keep your lower back flush against the floor (abs engaged).

Glutes
Single-leg bridging

Stability Ball Bridging
Wall Sits – I usually do 4 or 5 minutes total, split into 1 minute sections. Sometimes I do my bicep curls at the same time. Multitasking!

Crunches
Medicine Ball (MB) toe-touches
MB Stability Ball Crunches
Bicycle Crunches
Bicep Curls – I use an 8lb weight because I’m a wimp. Also it’s the biggest weight I have.

Injured Groin Rehab
Hip Adductors
Stability Ball Squeezes
Clamshell

That’s it!

All right, I’m off to bed. I’ll need my rest for my swimming in the morning!

Hi everyone!
A while back I started a Comments4Cans drive, where for every 5 comments on my site I would donate a can to the Charlottesville Emergency Food Bank. And you guys came through and posted  34 comments! That’s 7 cans of food to feed the hungry in Albemarle County.

(Excuse my toes there at the bottom.)
I chose black beans because they’re full of protein and are easy to prepare. Also they are delicious.

Again, thanks everybody for your help!

I know I already have a bunch of 2010 goals, but to me a resolution is different – unlike a goal(ie PRing in the 10k), a resolution is something constant that you have to work at each and every day, consistently, throughout the year. This year, my resolution will be to consistently strength train – at least 3 days a week for 20 minutes a day.

The 100 pushups program is going to be a part of my strength training for sure. 100 pushups, here I come!